Word Roots
2 roots • 8 wordsMOR/MORT
Root Meaning:
MOR/MORT comes from Latin words meaning “to die” and “death.” A mortuary is a place where dead bodies are kept until burial, and a postmortem examination is one conducted on a recently dead body. The Latin phrase “Memento mori” means “Remember that you must die” ; so a memento mori is the name we give to a reminder of death; the skulls you can find carved on gravestones in old cemeteries are examples.
Etymology:
Latin
4 words derived from this root
Words from this root:
mortality
/mɔːrˈtælɪti/
Definition:
(1) The quality or state of being alive and therefore certain to die. (2) The number of deaths that occur in a particular time or place.
Explanation:
Young people tend to assume they will never die; but a person's sense of his or her mortality generally increases year by year, and often increases greatly after a serious accident or illness. Still, many people refuse to change behaviors that would improve their chances of living into old age. Mortality rates are calculated by government agencies, insurance companies, and medical researchers. Infant mortality rates (the rate at which infants die in childbirth) provide a good indicator of a country's overall health; in recent years, the rates in countries like Iceland, Singapore, and Japan have been much better than in the U.S.
moribund
/ˈmɔːrɪbʌnd/
Definition:
(1) In the process of dying or approaching death. (2) Inactive or becoming outmoded.
Explanation:
*Moribund* is still sometimes used in its original literal sense of “approaching death,” but it's much more often used to describe things. When the economy goes bad, we hear about moribund mills and factories and towns; the economy itself may even be called moribund. Critics may speak of the moribund state of poetry, or lament the moribund record or newspaper industry.
amortize
/əˈmɔːrtaɪz/
Definition:
To pay off (something such as a mortgage) by making small payments over a period of time.
Example:
For tax purposes, they chose to amortize most of the business's start-up costs over a three-year period.
Explanation:
*Amortize* is most common as a legal term, and many of us first come across it when we take out a mortgage or start a business. Financial officers and tax lawyers can choose how to legally amortize various types of business expenses, some of which may seem much better than others. In mortgage *amortization*, much of what you pay month by month is actually interest on the mortgage debt, especially at the beginning. So what does amortizing have to do with death? Basically, to amortize a debt means to “kill” it slowly over time.
mortify
/ˈmɔːrtɪfaɪ/
Definition:
(1) To subdue or deaden (the body) especially by self- discipline or self-inflicted pain. (2) To embarrass greatly.
Explanation:
*Mortify* once actually meant “put to death,” but no longer. Its “deaden” sense is most familiar to us in the phrase “mortifying the flesh,” which refers to a custom once followed by devout Christians, who would starve themselves, deprive themselves of every comfort, and even whip themselves in order to subdue their bodily desires and punish themselves for their sins. But the most common use of *mortify* today is the “humiliate” sense; its connection with death is still apparent when we speak of “dying of embarrassment.”
TROPH
Root Meaning:
TROPH comes from the Greek trophe, meaning “nourishment.” This particular troph- root doesn't show up in many everyday English words (the troph- in words like trophy, apostrophe, and catastrophe has a different meaning), but instead tends to appear in scientific terms.
Etymology:
Latin
4 words derived from this root
Words from this root:
atrophy
/ˈætrəfi/
Definition:
(1) Gradual loss of muscle or flesh, usually because of disease or lack of use. (2) A decline or degeneration.
Explanation:
From its literal Greek roots, *atrophy* would mean basically “lack of nourishment.” Although the English word doesn't usually imply any lack of food, it always refers to a wasting away. Those who have been bedridden for a period of time will notice that their muscles have *atrophied*. And muscular atrophy is a frequent result of such diseases as cancer and AIDS. We also use *atrophy* in a much more general sense. After being out of work a few years, you may find your work skills have atrophied; someone who's been living an isolated life may discover the same thing about his or her social skills; and a democracy can atrophy when its citizens cease to pay attention to how they're being governed.
hypertrophy
/haɪˈpɜːrtrəfi/
Definition:
(1) Excessive development of an organ or part. (2) Exaggerated growth or complexity.
Explanation:
When the prefix *hyper-*, “above, beyond,” is joined to *-trophy*, we get the opposite of *atrophy*. An organ or part becomes *hypertrophic* when it grows so extremely that its function is affected. Muscle hypertrophy is common in men who do strength training, and is often harmless; but extreme muscle hypertrophy generally involves taking steroids, which can do great damage to the body. Hypertrophy of the heart sounds as if it might be healthy, but instead it's usually a bad sign. As the example sentence shows, *hypertrophy*, like *atrophy*, can be used in nonmedical ways as well.
dystrophy
/ˈdɪstrəfi/
Definition:
Any of several disorders involving the nerves and muscles, especially muscular dystrophy.
Example:
The most common of the muscular dystrophies affects only males, who rarely live to the age of 40.
Explanation:
Since the prefix *dys-* means “bad” or “difficult,” *dystrophy* is always a negative term. Originally it meant “a condition caused by improper nutrition,” but today the term is instead used for a variety of other conditions, particularly conditions that noticeably affect the muscles. Of the many types of muscular dystrophy, the best known is Duchenne's, a terrible disease that strikes about one in 3,300 males and produces severe wasting of the muscles. However, the muscular dystrophies generally affect many other organs and systems as well. And the other dystrophies, which tend to involve the eyes or hands, don't much resemble the muscular dystrophies.
eutrophication
/ˌjuːtrɒfɪˈkeɪʃən/
Definition:
The process by which a body of water becomes enriched in dissolved nutrients.
Example:
Local naturalists are getting worried about the increasing eutrophication they've been noticing in the lake.
Explanation:
*Eutrophication*, which comes from the Greek *eutrophos*, “well-nourished” (see EU), has become a major environmental problem. Nitrates and phosphates, especially from lawn fertilizers, run off the land into rivers and lakes, promoting the growth of algae and other plant life, which take oxygen from the water, causing the death of fish and mollusks. Cow manure, agricultural fertilizer, detergents, and human waste are often to blame as well. In the 1960s and '70s, the eutrophication of Lake Erie advanced so extremely that it became known as the “dead lake.” And many areas of the oceans worldwide—some more than 20,000 square miles in extent—have become “dead zones,” where almost no life of any kind exists.